The first thing that came to mind when I thought about contemporary icons was that it would be hard to select something. The second thing that came to mind, as I looked around the house, was that it would be hard to narrow down my selection to only three. Having thought about the things we have, the things we watch, and the things that hold our interest, the three contemporary icons I chose were The Biggest Loser television show, Oprah Winfrey, and the Honda.
We as a nation are obsessed with fitness. Who hasn’t had a New Year’s resolution to lose weight, get fit, or be healthier? Shows like Celebrity Fit Club, The Biggest Loser, and Ruby are all popular in our house. We enjoy seeing people take control of their lives. Heck, during the Christmas holidays I even found myself watching Half Ton Teen on the Discovery channel. I was fascinated. For these reasons I selected the photo logo from The Biggest Loser website at http://www.thebiggestloser.com/ (2009) as one of my contemporary icons. My kids love the show and enjoy seeing the difference the participants can make in their lives. There’s satisfaction in seeing people succeed.
Oprah was an obvious selection for me. I think she holds some kind of power over people (not me of course!) There are people who just have to know what Oprah is doing, wearing, watching, and now of course, even eating. Saturday Night Live did a hilarious spoof of Oprah’s ‘favorite things’ show where people were fainting in the audience. It was so funny, but I’m sure it happens. It was almost breaking news when Oprah came out with the fact that she now weighed over 200 pounds! The photo above came from Oprah's website at http://www.oprah.com/tows (2009).
The final icon I chose was the Honda. The photo above is from Honda's website at http://automobiles.honda.com/civic-sedan/exterior-photos.aspx (2009). In today’s economy everyone is looking to scale back and Honda has a reputation for being reliable, fuel efficient, and economic. It makes us feel like our money is going farther when we can drive a car until the wheels fall off. I think Honda is iconic because Honda-drivers feel like they aren’t being wasteful. There’s value in the money spent on a Honda purchase. As a society, I think that makes us feel good about ourselves.
Images:
We as a nation are obsessed with fitness. Who hasn’t had a New Year’s resolution to lose weight, get fit, or be healthier? Shows like Celebrity Fit Club, The Biggest Loser, and Ruby are all popular in our house. We enjoy seeing people take control of their lives. Heck, during the Christmas holidays I even found myself watching Half Ton Teen on the Discovery channel. I was fascinated. For these reasons I selected the photo logo from The Biggest Loser website at http://www.thebiggestloser.com/ (2009) as one of my contemporary icons. My kids love the show and enjoy seeing the difference the participants can make in their lives. There’s satisfaction in seeing people succeed.
Oprah was an obvious selection for me. I think she holds some kind of power over people (not me of course!) There are people who just have to know what Oprah is doing, wearing, watching, and now of course, even eating. Saturday Night Live did a hilarious spoof of Oprah’s ‘favorite things’ show where people were fainting in the audience. It was so funny, but I’m sure it happens. It was almost breaking news when Oprah came out with the fact that she now weighed over 200 pounds! The photo above came from Oprah's website at http://www.oprah.com/tows (2009).
The final icon I chose was the Honda. The photo above is from Honda's website at http://automobiles.honda.com/civic-sedan/exterior-photos.aspx (2009). In today’s economy everyone is looking to scale back and Honda has a reputation for being reliable, fuel efficient, and economic. It makes us feel like our money is going farther when we can drive a car until the wheels fall off. I think Honda is iconic because Honda-drivers feel like they aren’t being wasteful. There’s value in the money spent on a Honda purchase. As a society, I think that makes us feel good about ourselves.
Images:
Honda Civic (2009). Retrieved January 14, 2009, from http://automobiles.honda.com/civic-sedan/exterior-photos.aspx
Oprah (2009). Retrieved January 14, 2009, from
http://www.oprah.com/tows
http://www.oprah.com/tows
Stacy, I totally agree with the whole nation has seriously become so much more health conscious. It is great that everyone is trying to become more healthy! I also agree with your Oprah statements! Every once in a while I will watch her if I see she has someone on the show that I am interested in but I definitely agree that some people just become almost obsessed with her and what she is doing. Great Posting!!
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